Wings of Change: The Rising Dawn
by Redrogue17
Summary: A Darkness is coming… and only five hybrids can stop it. Since the day they've hatched, Dawn and her four friends have been trapped in an inescapable prison, their only crime: being half breed offspring to various dragons that choose to mate outside of their tribes. Why the Talons of Purity haven't killed them already is a mystery none of them want to find out. More inside...
1. Prologue

**I just got into this series like two months ago and I wanted to try something. This takes place a thousand years after DoD but rejects the LC arc (because bug and plant dragons are "jumping the shark" material). Some names may be recycled but that should be understandable. OCs abound in this story, along with some minor spoilers for the WoF series. Well, nothing to say but I own nothing, R &R, and enjoy part one of my **_**Wings of Change**_ **.**

* * *

 _A Darkness is coming… and only five hybrids can stop it._

 _Since the day they've hatched, Dawn and her four friends have been trapped in an inescapable prison, their only crime: being half breed offspring to various dragons that choose to mate outside of their tribes. Why the Talons of Purity haven't killed them already is a mystery none of them want to find out. All Dawn knows is that they need to get out and the sooner they do, the better. So when a queen comes, claiming to be her long lost mother, Dawn comes with only one condition: bring her cohabitants along or leave without her._

 _But there are forces in this world Dawn and her cohorts are only beginning to understand: a thousand year old prophecy, even older feuds between the tribes, and a cult with eyes and ears everywhere… including her mother's royal court._

* * *

 _Seven in five, thrice moon born,_

 _Raised by hate and endless scorn._

 _A thousand years rise and fall;_

 _Fate awaits Halfling hands or none at all._

 _By dawn's frost and stardust will come_

 _The power of the Darkstalker undone._

 _From the falcon's eyes you'll see_

 _A path to peace and bloodless glory._

 _Seawater and salted mud shall unite_

 _To reveal the false queen's wicked plight._

 _A lost power shall return to the tribe of Ice_

 _And end the ancient feud of untrue vice._

 _Five halflings must see through the lies_

 _Or the seven tribes burns and fries._

* * *

 _"Oh, the dragonets are coming, they're coming to save the day. They're coming to fight, for they know what's right, the dragonets, hooray! Oh, the dragonets are coming…"_ a male gold and pink draconic face gently sung to a clutch of three silver and pale green eggs.

The eggs were set in a large blue concave pillow beneath sunroof, currently acting as a moon-roof, built into the hut. The hut itself was unique from all the other nearby huts in that it was carved into and around an ancient broom cluster fig tree with the interior of the trunk being converted into an eco-friendly spiral staircase leading to various rooms constructed onto the branches, the nursery being situated on the top of the tree, the light of three full moons shining bright on the eggs. Surrounding the eggs' pillow were various toys and other playthings, including some carved wooden blocks.

"Oh, will you stop singing that stupid song!" a black and silver dragon yelled in a hushed voice, "That is a bar tune written for wasted dragons a thousand years ago!"

This dragon, obviously female, with midnight-black scales, dark green underscales, green eyes, black wing membrane, and silver scales under the wings that cluster around each other like starbursts and comets. Unlike the male dragon, who had a long and graceful body with a ruff behind his ears, a pair of thin, curved horns, and a prehensile tail, the female had a thicker, more compact and muscular body, shorter and less graceful neck, straight white horns, plated scales, larger wings, a black forked tongue, and short spikes that run from the base of her skull and to her tail tip.

"Oh, c'mon Stargazer," the gold and pink dragon quietly teased, "Its history, and you're always going on about all you arty-eggy…"

" _Archaeology_ ," Stargazer hissed and then quietly remarked, "Seriously Congo, you know this. You're not that ancient RainWing stereotype."

"I'm just yankin' your leg, babe. But the point remains: if you wanna teach the next generation all about the past, you gotta expose as much of it to them as soon as possible."

"You're using my occupation against me again, aren't you?"

"Are you sure you're not a mind reader?"

Stargazer sighed deeply and shook her head, her mate could be such a child. Sometimes it was so easy for her and other dragons to forget that he was the chief librarian of Queen Glory's Grand Library. She didn't need precognition to foresee that the role of the disciplinarian was going to fall on her shoulders.

"Congo, I am going to be the mother of _three_ dragonets not _four_. I need you to be more serious; this isn't a game."

"I know, Starshine, but that doesn't mean we still can't have fun and enjoy parenthood. If we don't, our babies are going to become introverted shut-ins. Besides, I'm serious, they don't give the chief librarian job of the most important library in the kingdom, if not the continent, to just anyone."

And there it was, the reason she fell in love with him in the first place: his intriguing ability to make a hardnose like her smile and make her see things at a different angle.

"You are right, just remember: we're their parents, not their friends, and I'm going to need you to support me, I don't want to be the bad guy."

"Right, that's your mother's job. Hey, why are we whispering again?"

"Because these eggs are going to hatch at any minute and I don't want to scare them with your loud obnoxious voice."

"My voice isn't obnoxious."

"It's an acquired taste."

A squeaking noise caught the adults' attention, directing their line of sight to the eggs, one was already cracking.

The duo gasped and simultaneously squealed, "IT'S TIME!"

The parents quickly circled around the eggs and watched as the egg in the middle began squeaking and cracking, more and more of the eggshell becoming brittle and chipped until the egg split open, revealing a beautiful baby dragon that was a perfect blend of its parents: long and graceful but thick and muscular with Stargazer's colors, down to the comet-starburst patterns—which were gold in color as opposed to Stargazer's silver— were prominent on the underwings, Congo's horns and frill, bright peridot green eyes, a mix of its parents scales and spikes, and a tail that was actively grabbing a piece of shell; it also had silver teardrop scales by the corners of its eyes. It looked up at its parents with wonder, clumsily getting up and walking to Congo's outstretched talon.

"She's beautiful," was all Congo could muster, too awestruck to say anything else.

"Our little Starlight," Stargazer cooed.

The egg on the left repeated its sister's process, releasing a little boy that looked more like a dark blue and black version of its father with silver teardrop scales by the corners of his bright green eyes but without a frill and prehensile tail. The boy did have the starburst-comet underwing patterns like its mother but in various colors of orange; both Stargazer and Congo agreed on the name Starburst. An hour later, the smaller egg on the right started to chip and crack but after several minutes it was obvious that the little dragon inside was having difficulty getting out on its own, so, in a panic, Congo started biting at the egg, only to be stopped by his mate.

"What are you doing?!" Stargazer shrieked, "Are you trying to kill it!?"

"I'm not killin' it," Congo defended, "I'm tryin' to make it easier for the lil' one to get out!"

Two minutes later, Congo's plan succeeded, and Stargazer breathed a sigh of relief as she shot Congo her "I don't care if your idea worked, never do that again" look. This dragon was smaller than her older siblings and looked more like her mother (forked black tongue, plated scales, thick, strong, compact body, straight horns, and dark green eyes) but with a dark blue colored frill with yellow spotting behind her ears, prehensile tail, and black scales with shades of yellow and silver, silver teardrop scales by the corners of her eyes, a yellow-green underbelly, and black colored underside of her wings speckled with orange, orange-yellow, and yellow scales arrange in starburst and comet patterns.

"Stardust," Stargazer smiled, "She is definitely Stardust."

Starlight and Starburst had already fallen asleep, curled around each other as Stardust shyly stared at her parents.

"It's alright, lil' one," Congo reassured his youngest child, "You have nothing to be afraid of."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," a deep, ominous voice sneered at the family from behind.

Stargazer and Congo whipped their heads around at the source of the voice. Standing at the entry of the nursery was a large, armored male version of Stargazer but with pitch black scales and deep, dark purple underscales and a broken right horn; he was flanked to his left and right by smaller, sickly looking armored dragons that looked as though they were made of ice.

"Shadowflight, what in Queen Macadamia's name are you doing here!?" Stargazer demanded, "And where's my mother and Gorilla?!"

"I'm afraid Oracle failed to live up to her name when she was unable to foresee the consequences of letting her only daughter betray her tribe by tainting the NightWing's greatness with your… unity with this disgusting subspecies and paid the ultimate price," Shadowflight haughtily explained as he and his associates moved to surround the family, a wicked grin grew on the large dragon's face, "And as for that old fool… well, he tried to stop us and failed."

"You _beast_!" Congo spat, his scales turning red and black, "The Queen banished you and your Talons of Purity on pain of death! How the Three Moons did even you _get_ here?!"

"We have our ways, but this is about you two. Out of respect for both of your contributions to Pyrriha, the Talons of Purity are willing to offer you both amnesty if you kill these impure mongrels right now and swear to never breed outside your respective tribes ever again. If you refuse… well, I'll leave that to your imagination."

"You're mad if you think we'll sacrifice our children for your archaic cause!" Stargazer snapped, she and Congo wrapping their tails and wings protectively around the hatchlings, "No wonder Phantom ditched you for that prince."

"Phantom has paid the price for her betrayal!" the intruder roared, awaking Starlight and Starburst, "And so shall you!"

The white dragons opened their mouths as an icy mist escaped their lips when suddenly, a green viscous liquid hit Shadowflight's face and one of the white dragons in the eye, causing the tow to scream, flail, and wither in agony as their scales and flesh melted and the affected white dragon fell dead.

"Show yourself, you cowardly snake!" yelled the unaffected and apparently female intruder, only for Congo to grab one of the wooden blocks with his tail and throw it as hard as he could at her, knocking the white dragon out; Still distracted by the pain, Shadowflight didn't notice a blue and green female version of Congo appear from nowhere.

"Amazon! I never thought I'd be glad to see you," Stargazer greeted.

"Yeah, I think right now ain't the time for 'hellos' and 'thank yous,'" Amazon quickly replied, "Let's get the dragonets and get out! Before Mr. Big, Dark, and Scary _gets_ us!"

Amazon then grabbed Starburst, climbed up and out the sunroof, and took off, Congo following suit with Starlight. Stargazer picked up Stardust, cradling her in loving arms and made for the opening, only for a disfigured Shadowflight to grab her by the ankle and yank her back down. Stargazer screamed as she landed on her back, fracturing one of her wings and Stardust tumbling out of her arms. Shadowflight climbed on top of the frightened, injured mother, turning her slightly on to her side and pinning her down with his tail and his weight, one talon pressing her forelimbs down and the other clamping her snout shut. She thrashed her head and neck, trying to break free, but to no avail.

"I'm a little disappointed in you, Stargazer," the dark dragon sniggered, "I mean, you're a foreseer, _how_ could you not know this was going to happen? You think a stupid, lazy RainWing queen and her sun high lackeys can protect you from us? There is a reason the tribes don't sexually intermix."

A pain the equivalent of several large bugs' bite caused the villain to momentarily look away from his victim and at the source: Stardust biting at Shadowflight's tail, a few scales having been pulled off.

"Well, isn't she mommy's little spitfire," Shadowflight marveled, "Stardust, is it? I normally couldn't care less about strangling dragonets, but I think this one's going to be fun."

With what little strength she had left, Stargazer pulled her arms free and clawed at Shadowflight's exposed scales on his legs and neck, trying to scratch him to death, blood dripping from where she made contact, but with one swift flick of his wrist, Shadowflight snapped her neck, ending her vain attempt to save her daughter.

"What a waste," Shadowflight muttered as he gave a quick glance at the corpse and returned his attention to the now cowering dragonet.

Stardust tried to back away but Shadowflight's remaining white dragon, who had since woken up, picked the newborn by the tail like a lizard.

"My Lord," she spoke, awaiting orders, "The dragonet."

"The traitors named her Stardust, put her with the others."

"And the RainWings and other two curs?"

"All hybrids and traitors will answer for their crimes sooner or later, put a tail on them."

Stardust closed her eyes in fright as the white dragon replied, "As you wish."

The dragonet kept her eyes closed as she was carried down the stairs of her home and then flung into a steel trap, a hundred voices echoing in her mind as a hundred thoughts of what her captures were planning to do with her flashed before her eyes. Hours stretched into eternity as she was jerked around in her cage, the carrier obviously not caring if she got her until she was unceremoniously dumped from her cage into a larger, cold room, blocking out the feeling of something cold clamping around her wrists, ankles, wings, tail, and neck. She was vaguely aware of a soft, gentle voice entering her ears until she felt a light tapping on her shoulder. Stardust slowly opened her eyes and, thanks to the light filtering through a the cell's one window blocked by eight intersecting steel bars, saw four chained dragons her age that looked nothing like her, her parents, Amazon, or her captors.

One of the males looked like a cross between her captors, having the white dragon's narrow, elegant, diamond-shaped head, white serrated claws and talons, a more compact and skinny version of the dark dragon's body and straight white horns with extra horns shaped like icicles on the back of his neck and down his back, surprisingly strong but narrow whip-like tail with extra very sharp icicle-shaped spines at the tip of the tail, stormy grey eyes, forked blue tongue, an unusual pattern of dark blue scales on his snout and upper side of his wings, onyx black scales on his legs and wing arms, icy blue-white scales on his head, body, and tail and a line of silver scales where the white and black scales meet, a gradient of light blue to white coloration on the upper wing with dark blue underwing dotted with pure white constellations of snowflakes. The dragonet that was tapping Stardust's shoulder, a female, had enormous wings, long graceful neck, short and compact snout with a nose-spike and a smaller horn under her ear and one on her jaw, horns are long, thin, and curved, body is thin, slender, strong, but small body, forked black tongue, armed with a venomous scorpion-like barb on the end of her tail, yellow underbelly, white-gold main scales with brown speckles on her wings and snout and black diamond patterns on her arms and legs, orange eyes, yellow-brown plating, a ridge going from her head to the base of her tail which became spines.

The other male, who was squished between the black and white and the bard-tailed dragonet had nostrils located on the top of his snout on a large, flat head with short tendrils coming from the bottom of his chin, long but strong, sturdy, muscular body that was small in height, large legs, green underbelly and wing membrane, thick powerful jaws and small dark brown horns near his neck, warm red-brown main scales with black spirals and dark brown plating on his back and wings, one blue and one brown eyes, brown spines with green webbing, webbed talons with hooked claws, long, thick, powerful tail, and green stripe-like glowing scales located on his tail, snout, arms, legs, underbelly, sides, and the undersides of his wings. The only other female looked more like a work of art than a living creature, with a body that was thin, slender, very narrow, very swift, and compact, enormous wings, long neck, forked pink tongue, a narrow diamond-shaded head with a nose-spike on upper snout, an extra horn on the jaw, two long, thin, and curved main horns with extra horns shaped like icicles on the back of her neck, legs like those the white dragon had equipped with ridged, extremely sharp, serrated claws and talons, the white dragon's body scales with a different underbelly and a mix of the white dragon's diamond-shaped plates and more rectangular ones), the white dragon's nose and ears, surprisingly strong and narrow—but thicker than the white dragon's and without the icicle spikes— tail, back spines that grew longer as they ran from the back to the tail tip, amber colored underbelly, a gradient of light red to light orange to pale yellow main scales with white colored plating and hints of pale pink along her claws, ears, and horns, and green eyes.

The barbed-tailed dragonet kindly spoke again, "Hey, you okay?"

Stardust nodded her head for yes then thought for a moment and started shaking it for no.

"No worry," the brown and green cheerily said, seeming to understand her predicament, "You got us now, I'm Mudslide, and these Falcon, Dawn, and Chiroco… no, Charoso…"

"Chiaroscuro," the other male corrected in an annoyed, then directed his attention to the black and green dragonet, "What your name?"

"St-Stardust," the newest prisoner frightfully stuttered.

"Don't worry, Stardust," the painted dragonet aptly named Dawn spoke, "Those meanies won't hurt you longs we here."

"Yeah," Falcon and Mudslide cheered at once.

Stardust took a quick glance at Chiaroscuro and relaxed as he gave her a small, reassuring smile. The dragonets moved as close together as their chains allowed them and curled up to sleep. Young Stardust didn't know what the future held for her, though if the memory of her mother's demise indicated anything, it most likely wasn't good. She took some small comfort in knowing that she wasn't alone in this though and held on to the hope that at least her father, her brother, her sister, and the pretty dragon called Amazon were still alive.

Not knowing where the words came from, she started quietly singing partly to herself and partly to her new friends, " _Oh, the dragonets are coming, they're coming to save the day…"_


	2. Part 1: A New Day C 1

**And now the first part of the first chapter. From here on it's pure speculation about Pyrrhia's future. OCs abound in this story, along with some minor spoilers for the WoF series. Well, nothing to say but I own nothing, R &R, and enjoy part one of my **_**Wings of Change**_ **.**

* * *

 _ **A NightWing Guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia**_

 _ **MudWings**_

 _Description: Thick, armored brown scales, sometimes with amber and gold undersides; large, flat heads with nostrils on the top of the snout._

 _Abilities: Can breathe fire (if warm enough); hold their breath for up to an hour; blend into mud puddles; usually very strong; some are hatched with fireproof scales._

 _Queen: Queen Cypress_

 _Known Animus Dragons: none_

 _ **SandWings**_

 _Description: Pale yellow or white scales the color of desert sand; poisonous barbed tail; forked black tongues_

 _Abilities: Can survive a long time without water; poison enemies with tips of tails like scorpions; bury themselves for camouflage in the desert sand, breathe fire._

 _Queen: Queen Sinai_

 _Known Animus Dragons: Jerboa I (historical), Jerboa II, Princess Jasper_

 _ **SeaWings**_

 _Description: Blue or green or aquamarine scales; webs between their claws; gills on their necks; glow-in-the-dark stripes on their tails/snouts/underbellies._

 _Abilities: Can breathe underwater, see in the dark, create huge waves with one splash of their powerful tails; excellent swimmers (animus power runs in the royal family)._

 _Queen: Queen Siren_

 _Known Animus Dragons: Prince Albatross (historical), Prince Turtle (historical), Princess Anemone (historical), Princess Orca (historical), Ex-Prince Fathom (historical), Prince Archerfish (historical), Princess Selkie_

 _Note: Princess Anemone gained her animus powers artificially due to an enchantment by Prince Turtle. Also, Prince Archerfish is half RainWing and is also listed under known RainWing Animi._

 _ **SkyWings**_

 _Description: Red-gold or orange scales; enormous wings_

 _Abilities: Powerful fighters and fliers; can breathe fire (Some are born with firescales)_

 _Queen: Queen Blaze_

 _Known Animus Dragons: None_

 _ **RainWings**_

 _Description: Scales constantly shift colors, usually bright like birds of paradise; prehensile tails._

 _Abilities: Can camouflage their scales to blend into their surroundings; shoot a deadly venom from their fangs; imitate bird calls_

 _Queen: Queen Macadamia_

 _Known Animus Dragons: Prince Archerfish (historical)_

 _Note: Prince Archerfish is half SeaWing and is also listed under known SeaWing Animi._

 _ **IceWings**_

 _Description: Silvery scales like the moon or pale blue like ice; ridged claws to grip the ice; forked blue tongues; tails narrow to a whip-thin end._

 _Abilities: Can withstand sub-zero temperature and bright light, exhale a deadly freezing breath._

 _Queen: Queen Orca_

 _Known Animus Dragons:_ _Queen Diamond, Prince Arctic, King Darkstalker, Prince Penguin, Frostbite, many others; all historical_

 _ **NightWings**_

 _Description: Purplish-black scales and scattered silver scales on the underside of their wings, like a night sky full of stars; forked black tongues._

 _Abilities: Can breathe fire; disappear into dark shadows, some hatch with the power to read minds or tell the future (usually rare to have either, but sometimes has both)_

 _Queen: Queen Macadamia (See_ _ **The NightWing Exodus**_ _for more information)_

 _Known Animus Dragons: King Darkstalker (historical), Stonemover (historical), Shadowhunter (historical), Moonlight, Phantom (deceased)_

* * *

 _ **A NightWing Guide to Dragon Hybrids**_

 _A common way to describe hybrids are dragons born from parents that are from two or more different tribes, though animus created hybrids are rumored to exist, which is improbable but not impossible. Dragons in Pyrrhia fall into one of seven general species, or tribes: RainWings, SandWings, SeaWings, NightWings, SkyWings, MudWings, and IceWings. They all are capable of inter-tribal crossbreeding or hybrids and producing hybrid dragons, but this does not occur often, as tribe rivalry is quite common. Inter-tribal crossbreeding usually happens along the borders of the kingdoms, primarily in poly-tribal towns such as Possibility and Sanctuary but can happen within the various kingdoms, namely the Rain and Mud Kingdoms. Hybrids are fully capable of further reproduction with any dragon, as are all descendants; it should be noted that if a hybrid mates with a purebred dragon of one of the hybrid's parent tribes and each successive generation mates with that same one tribe, virtually all biological evidences of hybridization will fade away, though stronger traits will remain (For example, animus powers of the SeaWings and NightWings due to an IceWing animus ancestor)._

 _Most hybrids are different from both of their parent tribes, often an even mix in appearance, although there are some recorded to appear more like one parent tribe than the other, the most famous being King Darkstalker who resembled a purebred NightWing with the only biological hints of his IceWing ancestry being a row of white scales under his wings, and his serrated wing-claws. They often lack some of their parent tribe's skills (for example: the Nightwing/SandWing Princess Sunny and her lack of a tail barb), but can express both traits (for example: a SeaWing/RainWing hybrid can inherit gills and acidic venom) but it is unknown, and exceedingly unlikely, if a dragon can have all of the skills from both of their given tribes._

 _RainWing Hybrids: Pure RainWings possess prehensile tails, similar to a chameleon's, used for navigating the forest. They can also spit a deadly venom from their fangs which they rarely use offensively. Most noticeably, they have the ability to change the color of their scales to help them camouflage, however, it can also express their mood._ _RainWing hybrids always have at least some scale changing ability in at least some parts of their body but all must focus to "force" these scales to change. There is a fifty percent chance of a RainWing hybrid inheriting a prehensile tail but a twenty-five percent chance of inheriting RainWing venom. The most common RainWing hybrid, as well as the most common hybridization in general, are NightWing/RainWing hybrids, due to the two tribes sharing the same Kingdom; all these hybrids are identifiable from their parent tribes by having colorful star patterns on their underwing as opposed to solely silver (NightWing) or none at all (RainWing) even with scale color changing. MudWing/RainWing and SeaWing/RainWing hybrids are also very common, due to their kingdoms closely bordering each other. SkyWing/RainWing hybrids are not as common as the previously stated ones, but are not unheard of. There have only ever being eight reports of SandWing/RainWing hybrids and six reports of IceWing/RainWing hybrids, due to the harshness of Ice and Sand Kingdoms in which RainWings are unable to adapted to; all of these hybrids came from Possibility._

 _SandWing Hybrids: SandWings possess a venomous barb on their tail that is lethal to other life forms, as well as also having the ability to exhale fire. SandWings are able to go a long time without water, which helps them survive in the desert. All SandWing hybrids are capable of fire breathing and surviving in the desert, but most lack the barbed tail. As stated above, RainWing/SandWing hybrids are the rarest due to RainWings being unable to thrive in the Kingdom of Sand; conversely, the most common SandWing hybrids are SandWing/SkyWing and SandWing/MudWing hybrids due to the closeness of their kingdoms. IceWing/SandWing and NightWing/SandWing hybrids are also common. SeaWing/SandWing hybrids are uncommon but are more numerous than RainWing/SandWing hybrids._

 _SeaWing Hybrids: SeaWings are the best equipped underwater, having gills, along with the ability to see in the dark to help them navigate their watery home. They have powerful webbed claws and tails that help them swim noticeably better than the other tribes. They also use bioluminescence to attract mates and to communicate while underwater by using a language called Aquatic. All SeaWing hybrids are powerful swimmers and have bioluminescence but not always gills. RainWing/SeaWing, NightWing/SeaWing, IceWing/SeaWing, and MudWing/SeaWing hybrids are all equally common due to kingdom proximity. SeaWing/SandWing and SkyWing/SeaWing hybrids are uncommon but are more numerous than RainWing/SandWing hybrids._

 _NightWing Hybrids:_ _NightWings have telepathy, as well as precognition, or the ability to predict future events. However, no NightWing has had these abilities if they were hatched away from moonlight as their powers are activated by at least one of the three moons being full and able to shine on an egg. One full moon gives the powers of either precognition or telepathy. Two full moons give both. Three full moons are thought to amplify these and other NightWing abilities, but this has not been proven. NightWings used to have bacteria in their saliva to help kill prey—this ability has been phased out due to higher availability of food— and are slightly resistant to lava and fire. No matter the hybridization, all NightWing hybrids retain the psychic abilities, though not as strong as a pure NightWing; they also retain their star scale patterning on their underwings, albeit in various colors as opposed to silver on black. The most common NightWing hybrid, as well as the most common hybridization in general, are NightWing/RainWing hybrids, due to the two tribes sharing the same Kingdom. The second most common hybrids are the NightWing/SkyWing hybrids and the SandWing/NightWing hybrids. NightWing/SeaWing and NightWing/MudWing hybrids are also common due to the close proximity of their kingdoms. Due to a three thousand year old feud, there are only two recorded NightWing/IceWing hybrids._

 _SkyWing Hybrids:_ _SkyWings have large, almost overdeveloped wings, making them the best fliers among the dragons. They also have the ability to exhale fire. Sometimes, when SkyWings hatch in twin eggs, one of the twin dragonets absorbs all of their other twin's fire so that they have abnormally hot fire and can burn anything on touch, called Firescales; their other twin becomes weak and loses all of their fire ability. All SkyWing hybrids are great flyers, though not as good as a pure SkyWing; any hybrid with a firescale ancestor will either find that power suppressed or nullified, the weaker twin often inheriting non-fire based abilities (venom, frostbreath, or gills) if any. The most common SkyWing hybrids are SandWing/SkyWing (due to how close their kingdoms are) and IceWing/SkyWing hybrids (due to a mutual respect). NightWing/SkyWing hybrids are also common. SkyWing/RainWing hybrids are not as common as the previously stated ones, but are not unheard of as are SkyWing/SeaWing hybrids. Despite the proximity of their kingdoms, SkyWings rarely produce MudWing hybrids due to fear that the MudWings' bulk will eliminate their great flying abilities._

 _MudWing Hybrids:_ _MudWings have nostrils located on the top of the snout to allow them to breathe while submerged in mud and water. They can breathe fire but only if their bodies are warm enough. In addition, they can hold their breath for up to an hour, they also have tough and armored scales for extra protection. However, occasionally, a blood red MudWing egg will hatch, giving the dragonet inside the ability to resist fire. This power is strengthened by being in the mud, which also strengthens MudWings in general. MudWing hybrids with a fire breathing non-MudWing can use fire breath at leisure. NightWing/MudWing and SandWing/MudWing hybrids are the most common due to the close proximity of their kingdoms. SeaWing/MudWing hybrids are also common. MudWing/IceWing hybrids are rare but more come than RainWing/IceWing hybrids. Despite the proximity of their kingdoms, SkyWings rarely produce MudWing hybrids due to fear that the MudWings' bulk will eliminate their great flying abilities._

 _IceWing Hybrids:_ _IceWings have modified claws to grip the ice, powerful frostbreath that has the ability to snap off limbs after contact, a resistance to below-freezing temperatures so they can stay alive and comfortable in their habitat. They are also highly resistant to being blinded by bright light. IceWings have also been shown to be able to camouflage in the snow in their natural habitat. While all IceWing hybrids have cold resistance and the modified claws, they lose some ice camouflage and, depending on the second parent, will not inherit frostbreath. IceWings tend to be very arrogant and superior, seeing mating outside their tribe as a major social taboo, especially amongst the nobility, though there is some leniency to this if they feel the non-IceWing is from a "worthy enough" tribe, namely the SeaWings and SkyWings, as they can handle the ice terrain well enough. SandWing/IceWing hybrids are also common due to their kingdoms bordering each other. MudWing/IceWing hybrids are rare but more come than RainWing/IceWing hybrids. Due to a three thousand year old feud, there are only two recorded NightWing/IceWing hybrids._

* * *

 **Part One: A New Day**

Dawn hated her hatching day, and why wouldn't she? She was taken from a home she barely remembered the moment she was born, thrown into this dank, stark pit and then chained up like a common criminal, oh, and how could she possibly forget how every year, on this day, the only day she was ever unchained, King High and Mighty himself would come by in the flesh to "inquire" about their "stay,"—meaning he came by to smack and throw her around like a cat's toy mouse whilst reminding her how he felt about her.

"Worthless!" he sneered as she flung her against the wall, causing her to grunt in pain.

"Witless!" the large black dragon declared as he swiped his claws at her wings, making her scream in furious agony as he created rips in her wing membrane.

"Disgusting!" the lead Talon of Purity roared as smacked his tail against her face and her body, knocking the wind out of her.

"Where's your fire, _SkyWing_?" the scarred dragon glowered tauntingly, "Extinguished by your IceWing mudding?"

"I'd probably have a flame if you'd _actually_ feed us, Scaredyflight," Dawn shot back, earning her a smack in the face.

No matter how great the pain, how great the humiliation, she would rather it be done to her than her cellmates. Shadowflight liked to inflict physical and emotional pain on all of them, but he liked torturing Stardust and Chiaroscuro the most. Chiaroscuro always got the worst of it, getting mauled and choked to near death as the older dragon mocked his mother; while he never laid a claw on Stardust, he would always make the shy dragonet relive the horrors of her mother's murder and her capture, twisting the memory by implying her father abandoned her and Stargazer for another dragon and kept her "stronger, less cowardly" siblings, leaving her and Stargazer to die, and always leaving her in bitter tears. Falcon and Mudslide also came under his wrath, and while Falcon had jewel hard scales and Mudslide had thicker bones and muscles, Dawn wasn't the type to let anything happen to them. So, therefore, every time Shadowflight got bored with her and his attention turned to the others…

"Now, SandWing, where were we?" the wicked dragon ominously directed his attention to Falcon, showing the melted, mutilated side of his face at the frightened dragonet who looked like she was about to lose her meager lunch at the sight of the smelted scales and exposed muscle and bone.

" _Oooooooooh-OH-oooh-oh! The dragonets are comingggggg, yes they're coming; they're coming to save the day-e-ayy!"_ Dawn started singing, Falcon humming along, " _They're coming to fight… I say they're coming to fight! For they know what's right… yeah they know what's right! The dragonets, hoorayyyyy-ayyyy-eaaaay-a!_ AUGH!"

"SILENCE CUR!" Shadowflight snapped after slapping her in the face, too annoyed at her to focus on the Sand/SkyWing halfling, the latter of whom looked at her with guilt and sorrow.

Right on cue, Frostwork, one of his lieutenants, came in, reminding him of their schedule, "Sir, the Council meeting is in one hour, if we don't leave now, we will be late."

Today she was wearing accessories made of blue diamonds around her neck, on her ear and all around her tail, along with her weird circle medallion. Shadowflight growled, his black, lifeless eyes glaring at Dawn and the black and white dragonet behind her, but nodded to Frostwork's notice.

"Guards, chain up the prisoners," he ordered as he left the cell, "If any of them start singing again, muzzle them for three weeks. And don't bother feeding them this week."

Three guards that look like bigger, bulkier, webbing-less, less green versions of Mudslide came in, doing as they were told. Dawn and the other hybrids relaxed around these guys, as unlike the other Talons of Purity guards, the three brothers (at least Dawn always assumed they were brothers) were less rough and more sympathetic with the dragonets. They carefully, gently put the chains on, secretly insuring the cuffs were not too tight, and making sure not to touch them too hard, less they aggravate at cut or a coming bruise.

"And bring me the idiot who taught them that accursed song!" the dark dragon commanded as he left the vicinity.

Frostwork shot one last bored but spiteful glare at the quintet before slamming the door shut, locking it in eight places.

"Uhgah, I thought they'd never leave," Chiaroscuro groaned.

Mudslide shrugged and replied, "At least they felt early this year."

"Yeah, and took away all our meals this week," the black and white dragon grimly reminded his optimistic cellmate.

"Which means, we can use your magic chow-time raw-ock!" Mudslide sing-songed, still looking on the bright side.

"Hey, Dawn, are you okay?" Falcon stopped the boys' discussion and turned the other dragonets' attention to their painted companion, "Shadowflight hit you pretty hard."

Dawn shook herself and nonchalantly replied, "Nothing a quick nap, a good, _real_ meal, and Scuro's healing stone can't fix."

"You sure? You really took a beating," Falcon inquired, "You should really stop antagonizing him so much…"

"And let him hurt you guys? Not a chance," Dawn interrupted, her green eyes flashing an assuring sign, letting Falcon relax a little, "Well, after that workout, I'm famished, whose turn is it to pick lunch? Mudslide's right?"

"Actually, it's Stardust's. I picked last time, remember?" Mudslide corrected, passing an irregularly shaped, black stone with silvery flecks to the color changing dragonet; there were dozens of those rocks cemented into the walls, making the cell darker than it already was.

"Well, whoever's turn it is, make sure it's not too noisy," Chiaroscuro warned, "They've cut off our food supply for the week and we can't let them know about the stone."

"Or Scuro's magic," Falcon added, "Or else they'll _never_ leave us alone."

"And never feed us again," Mudslide shivered; like the pure MudWing guards, Mudslide liked his meals: plenty and often.

"Well…" Stardust looked at the stone then to her friends, "Any special requests?"

"Cows!" Mudslide cheered.

"What did I just say!?" Chiaroscuro hissed.

"Sorry," the green and brown dragonet winced before quietly changing his wish, "Salmon."

"Nah, their skin's too gross," Scuro disagreed, shaking his head, "How 'bout rabbits?"

"I wouldn't say no to buzzard eggs," Falcon chimed in.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Dawn vocally stepped in, "Its Stardust's turn, she gets to pick."

"I-I don't mind, I'm getting tired of picking fruit anyway," the littlest dragonet assured her "sister," "What-what would you like, Dawn?"

"I'm not picky, but it has been a while since I've had any pancakes."

"Pancakes _does_ sound like a great idea," Falcon approved.

"Oh-yeah, I forgot about pancakes!" Mudslide agreed, "With strawberry jam and blueberry butter and a side of bacon and scrambled tern eggs mixed with honey…"

"Alright, alright, we'll have pancakes, just please stop talking," Scuro interrupted, "I'm hungry enough as it is."

Stardust grabbed the stone and closed her eyes, concentrating. The dragonets blinked and opened their eyes to their own plates of Pyrrhian pancakes: a baked pastry shell where dragons can put in anything they wanted in the center. Mudslide got his with scrambled tern eggs, honey, and bacon mixed together and drizzled with strawberry jam and blueberry butter all over. Falcon's was left plain except for some light buttering and covered with powdered sugar. Dawn's had blackberries and diced sausages mixed in the breading with caramelized apples inside the "bowl." Scuro got smoked salmon and minced venison in an otherwise completely plain and unflavored pancake. And Stardust had candied ginger, fresh fruit, and molasses in a cinnamon and raisin flavored pancake. Mudslide wolfed down his meal in four bites and licked his plate, Dawn ate her pancake quickly but chewed only on the left side of her mouth as she was still sore, Scuro popped meat in his mouth like grapes before ripping his pancake apart and ate it piece by piece after dipping it in the leftover juices, Stardust pulled her pastry apart in strips and wrapped it around the molasses and candied ginger spiced fruit before eating it like a snack bar, and Falcon nibbled and bit off small pieces, finishing last. As soon as Falcon finished, the plates dissolved into dust, hiding any evidence of their forbidden lunch save for Mudslide's satisfied belch.

A beat later, Chiaroscuro rolled a blue diamond, formerly from one of Frostwork's jewelry, Dawn's way; she picked up the gem and held it in her talon. The small gem started emitting a soft blue glow and her body started soon after. Her scales itched a little as they stitched back into place, leaving no scars, and her bones mended themselves back into place, a warm feeling spreading through her systems, checking and repairing every bone, every muscle, every blood vessel, every scale, and every tiny part of her body from the tip of her nose spike to her wing membranes, and all the way to the tip of her last tail spike. What would've taken weeks, even months to heal melted away within seconds, Dawn feeling herself getting better and stronger, her aches and pain dissolving into numbness and then fading away altogether, as though it was never there. After a minute there was no sign of Shadowflight's visit except for spots of her red-blue blood from formerly opened wounds.

"Black stones and blue gems, I love Scuro's magic," Mudslide said as he yawned and stretched.

"I don't. Every time I use it, it makes my teeth itch and stomach churn and when I'm done using it, I end up feeling like I got run over by the MudWing brothers," Scuro retorted, "Plus, there's always the danger Shadowflight and his cronies will find out about it and either kill me or make me make weapons for them to kill other hybrids and their families."

"They haven't killed us yet," Mudslide commented.

"Yeah, and that worries me," Dawn spoke up, "We all know how Scaredyflight feels about us and what he and Frostwonky do to dragons like us. Just like in Stardust's story. So why are _we_ alive and in chains instead of a grave?"

"I don't think I wanna know," Falcon commented.

"Me neither," Mudslide agreed, showing his less optimistic side for a moment.

"I second that," Scuro added.

"Can't be anything good," Stardust whimpered.

"Which is why we need to get out," Dawn explained.

"How?" Scuro glared at her, "We're chained head to tail, there's eight locks on the only door in or out, there's only one window and it's blocked by a steel grate, and there's always guards on duty just outside. And that's what we do know about this place; we don't know how big this place is or how many cells and passages are in it, or how many other guards are in it. It's suicide."

"So is staying here, being treated like garbage and getting the vermin treatment every year. They're not going to keep us around forever, sooner or later they're not going to play around with dragonet gloves. Then one or more of us are going to end up dead."

No one spoke, just absorbed Dawn's words for a moment. Mudslide had an arm wrapped around Stardust as he helped her fight through a panic attack, Falcon was looking at her claws in worry, and Scuro was being stoic, looked at Dawn intently, betraying no emotion.

Finally, Scuro broke the silence, "Well, if we are going to escape, how in the three moons are we going to do it?"

"Well," Dawn started explaining, "First of all, it involves using magic…"


	3. Part 1: A New Day C2

**Answering the Reviewers:**

 **To rivertiger (Guest): thank you for your comment. I try really hard to be descriptive and unique.**

 **To Anonymous. MISTER Anonymous: Thank you for both your reviews. I'm excited that you like my story so much. As for your first question: no, I did not sell my soul to the devil or Kelly G (I don't even know who she, X)), I just thought about the plot and tried to figure out how to incorporate a prophecy, took me a few tries too; just keep at yours and, if you feel like you need a second opinion, ask a friend or loved one (or a Beta) what they think. As for your second question, I have left subtle but noticeable hints that this is a thousand years** _ **after**_ **the War of the SandWing Succession and the NightWing Exodus, though in an alternate universe where the Lost Continent Arc hasn't occurred (due to my misgivings about insect and plant based dragons): (a) in the prophecy is the line "a thousand years rise and fall," meaning (or supposed to mean) a thousand years into the future, (b) when Congo sings "the Dragonets are Coming" Stargazer makes the comment that it's a thousand year old bar song, and (c), while not stipulating the time, my "NightWing's Guide to the Dragons of Pyrrhia" does mention a scroll/book titled** _ **The NightWing Exodus**_ **in a note explaining why the NightWings are being ruled over by a RainWing queen. I'm sorry if I confused you or my other readers, I planned to not outright say that it's been a thousand years because I'm writing this story from the new Dragonets of Destiny's point-of-view and for all they know, the world has always been the way they've known it as and (SPOILERS) are going to find out otherwise very soon.**

 **To NovaSpiritWolf: thank you for your review. And thank you for your suggestion, I was trying to make air-quotes but I'll tone that done from now on.**

 **To KnightLawn: thank you very much for your review. It's readers like you that make writing so fulfilling.**

 **As for everyone else, read and enjoy.**

* * *

"Are you kidding me?!" Scuro snapped, "I get exhausted over small spells, a grand escape plan could kill me!"

"I know, and I honestly hate asking so much of you," Dawn assured him, "But we need something to unlock these chains and the doors."

"Why not out the window?" Mudslide asked, "Then no one will know until they finally have to feed us."

"That might've worked when we were a year old," Stardust explained, "But now it's too small for any of us to get through."

"We'll have to use the door," Dawn added.

"But once we get out of the cell, how are we going to get out of this prison?" Falcon inquired, "We've only ever known this room and I'm pretty sure there are more rooms for housing the guards."

"And I don't think we're the _only_ prisoners here," Stardust added, "We might accidently end up in another cell."

"What if there are other dragons and dragonets in those cells? We can't leave them behind!" Mudslide interjected, "And what about the MudWing Brothers? If Shadowflight and the other Talons of Purity find out that we escaped on their watch, they'll get killed! They're the only ones that are nice to us, we can't leave them to die!"

"Mudslide's right," Stardust agreed, Falcon and Scuro nodding in agreement.

"Well if there are any prisoners, we'll free them too. As for the brothers, well we have to figure out how loyal they are to the Talons of Puke-ity before escaping," Dawn declared, "If they hate Scaredyflight as much as we do, they can come with; if they don't, we'll have to wait until they change shifts next week. Then we'll use our meal stone to conjure up some food laced with something to make those guards fall asleep."

"Works for me," Scuro confirmed, "But if the Brothers won't help us, we'll still need a means to find our way around this place, I don't know how big this place is or where the exits are."

"We'll have to rely on our senses if we can't get their help," Dawn deduced, "We can track Scaredyflight and Frostwonky's scents to the exit, they have to get in and out somehow."

"And then where to?" Stardust asked, "We haven't left this cell since we got put inside minutes after hatching. We have no idea about the outside world. What if everyone is just like the Talons of Purity? What if they're worse?"

" _Worse_ than Shadowflight and Frostwork?" Scuro smirked disbelievingly, almost laughing.

"Stardust isn't wrong," Falcon reminded him, "How are we going to survive the outside world? We've never flown and have few means to defend ourselves."

"We'll cross that hazard when we get there," Dawn promised, "Even if we _did_ know what's beyond this cell, we'll still need to take this one day at a time. Plus, if there are other prisoners here, then they must have information we'll need. They came from the outside too."

"If we get these chains off now, we can move our wings and practice flying," Mudslide suggested.

Scuro looked at the only other male incredulously, "I think there's more to flying than that."

The black and white dragon then turned his attention back to the painted one, "Either way we'll need supplies other than the stone and the diamond."

"Like what?" Mudslide asked.

"Water, lots and lots of water so we don't suffer from thirst," Stardust listed, "And we should get food and healing supplies in case we lose the stone and diamond. Also, we'll need ropes, blankets, weapons, tools, wood to start a fire, a way to carry our food and water, something to protect us from storms, something to signal each other if we get separated, maybe some protective gear…"

"Ok, we need lots of stuff," Mudslide blinked, absorbing the smaller dragonet's information.

"But first we need to get out of these chains," Dawn reminded them, yanking at the chain on her left arm in emphasis.

"Alright, alright, give me a minute," Scuro impatiently replied, "I just need something."

"Oh! I know," Mudslide exclaimed, being careful not to alert the guards.

Turning as far right as he could, he hooked his talon-tips under the largest cobblestone, one he would usually lay on, and with what strength he had, carefully and as quietly as possible lifted the stone at a near perpendicular angle and moved it to the side. Beneath the slab laid the dragonets' treasure: dropped knickknacks and stolen goods such as wooden spoons, the chains from when they were younger and smaller, more of Frostwork's lost jewelry, pieces of chainmail from Shadowflight's armor, small rusted knives, and a reflective plate embedded in a gold holder and black stones studded on the back of the plate and the hilt they "borrowed" from Frostwork. Mudslide pulled out the plate and one of the smaller spoons.

"We can use the look-back plate to see around corners as we sneak around and use the spoon as a key," Mudslide ecstatically explained.

"Great idea, Mudslide," Falcon smiled.

"Oh, don't forget Frostwork's other jewels," Stardust added, "If we find a nice enough dragon, we can trade them for whatever we might need."

"Rrrrright!" Mudslide smiled back, rolling his "r" in an exaggerated manner.

Mudslide handed the spoon over to Chiaroscuro and began digging out the jewels.

Scuro held the spoon firming in his talons, looking at it intently and unblinkingly as he commanded, "Spoon, turn into an indestructible key that can lock and unlock any lock and open any door, even if there is no lock or if the lock or the door is broken or sealed over."

A soft blue light enveloped the spoon as it transformed, wood shifting into metal, the ladle turning into a diamond-shaped bow with an image of fire carved into it, handle becoming the stem, collar, throating, and pin of a key with a small bar, half as long as one of Scuro's freezing scales, growing from the tip and becoming irregular in shape as groves and spikes formed for the teeth. Though drained, Scuro tested his new key on his shackles, effectively and seamlessly releasing his limbs, neck, and tail. The dragonets watched with anticipation as he worked to release the binding on his wings; these were never removed, even during Shadowflight's visits. None of them had ever moved much less used their wings since the moment they were captured. It was only by the magic of the healing diamond that the wings hadn't shriveled up and become useless. With baited breath, Scuro freed his wings, hissing slightly as the air touched the previously concealed parts of the wing for the first time in over five years. Slowly, carefully, the black and white dragon opened and closed his long restricted wings for the first time, wincing and grunting as he worked through the stiff soreness and aching formerly unused muscles and bones, his brain trying to process the new information from the limbs. The white scales sparkled brightly against the dark blue of his underwing in the limited sunlight.

"You okay, Scuro?" Dawn asked, breaking the silence.

The freed dragon gave a brief, weak laugh and replied smiling, "This feels so weird… but it also feels so good. I mean, we have these things for something, right?"

Scuro gave Dawn the key as he continued to shake, stretch, and strengthen his long neglected wings. She released herself but did not start exercising her wings, instead went to work freeing her siblings, starting with Falcon, who was closest, then moving to Stardust and then Mudslide. After everyone was freed, they started their own wing exercises, Dawn and Falcon getting the hang of using their wings faster than everyone else.

"Okay, on that that's all done," Dawn spoke, "This is where the fun begins."

She took the key and pressed it against the door, hearing the eight locks softly undoing themselves and quietly opened the door, leaving one by one, Dawn first, holding the key, followed by Falcon, holding the healing diamond, Stardust, holding the meal stone, and Mudslide, who was carrying the mirror and jewels with Chiaroscuro taking the rear. That's when they saw that, as they were planning their escape, the trio of MudWing guards were cooking their own meal.

"Mutton yesterday, mutton today, and, three moons, if it don't look like mutton tomorrow!" One of the three MudWing guards complained; he looked like a standard MudWing with burnt umber main scales, deep, dark brown, almost black plating and horns, and tawny underbelly and wings.

"Quit your grippin', Peat," his similar colored but much larger and bulker companion dismissed as he stirred a large pot over a small fire, "These ain't sheep, these Sky Kingdom nags."

"Aww, I don't like horse, I never had. Not enough fat on them," the third, smaller, skinnier MudWing complained as he looked at the stew, the fire glowing against his dun colored main scales and tan wings which were marked with splotches of mud brown, and then he sneezed loudly, apparently getting some snot and spittle in the stew.

"Oh, would you look at that," the larger MudWing growled, "A floater."

Peat chuckled and joked, "Maybe it'll improve the flavor."

Dawn and the others carefully and quietly moved closer, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"There's more where that came from," the smaller MudWing smiled and prepared to repeat the action, only for the largest MudWing to stop him.

"Don't even think about it, Dun," he warned.

Dun sat away from the pot and muttered, "I hope you remembered to gut those nags. I don't like the stinky parts."

"I still don't understand how _he's_ the cook," Peat grumbled, "Everythin' tastes the same, everything tastes like chicken."

" _Except_ the chicken," Dun interjected.

"Yeah, that tastes like fish," Peat agreed.

"Hey, a little appreciation would be nice," the larger MudWing shot back.

Mudslide accidently knocked something over with his tail, causing the three guards to look his direction, when Stardust grabbed onto and covered him, the two hybrids disappearing instantly. Dawn and Falcon looked at Scuro in confusion, thinking he had something to do with this, but his equally confused expression revealed that this was not his doing. Whatever happened, the guards shrugged the noise off and returned to what they were doing.

"'Thank you very much, Muskeg'," the cooking MudWing, apparently named Muskeg, continued his own rant, "'Lovely stew, Muskeg'."

The guards distracted again, Stardust and Mudslide reappeared, unharmed.

"Talons and tails, what happened to you guys?" Dawn whispered, still confused.

"I was worried they'd catch Mudslide, so I tried to cover him thinking at first that my dark scales could hide us," Stardust quietly explained, "But I was worried it wouldn't work because my scales would need to be greyer to match the floor and then they turned the same color as the floor and then we vanished. When I knew we were safe, I stopped thinking about it and we reappeared."

"I didn't know you could do that," Falcon's eyes were as large as food plates in amazement.

" _I_ didn't know I could do that," Stardust started to sound more like Mudslide as she continued talking, "It must be from my father, because I remember him changing color the night I was hatched as he was yelling at Shadowflight. That must be how Amazon was able to appear out of nowhere, she and my father are the same kind of dragon so they must have the ability to change color. I wonder if I can spit the dissolving liquid like she did or if my mother's NightWing side canceled that out or if Amazon had some random power from something else, or…"

"Stardust, I'm glad you found out something new about yourself, but we need to get moving," Scuro interrupted, his head low to the ground, his usual indication he had a headache.

"Are you alright, Scuro?" Dawn asked.

"I'm fine," he spoke through his teeth, obviously trying to hide his pain, then changed the subject, "I think the Brothers are talking about the Talons."

Sure enough, they heard Peat say, "You think we should feed the youngins? I know Shadowflight said not to for the week but I'm sure he won't notice if we give 'em a few table scrapes here and there."

"Yeah, maybe take those chains off while we're at it. I mean it's not their fault they were born different," Dun agreed, "What Shadowflight and his buds don't know won't hurt us or them."

"I mean, we never asked to be part of their club," Peat commented, "Why should we do somethin' we know ain't good?"

The quintet's ears perked up, this was sounding good for them.

"Look, what's gonna on with the dragonets and this whole 'death to the halflings, long live the pure ones' garbage in general ain't right," Muskeg spoke, "But you two _know_ we can't go against the Purity Talons. You saw what they did to Terracotta when she let the other sea-muds go instead of killin' or takin' 'em. Alligator and Swan were so upset they jumped into the sea and drowned themselves."

The dragonets looked at each other worriedly. This was just what they feared, another week in the cells. Dawn motioned her head to quietly leave and explored the prison a little bit, following Shadowflight and Frostwork's scents.

"Well, it's not like we didn't except this to happen," Dawn gently whispered, trying, and failing, to cheer everyone up.

"I don't know what's worse," Mudslide moaned, "the fact that the Brothers won't help us, or the fact we haven't heard any other prisoners."

"What are you talking about?" the black and white dragon looked at him strangely, "I hear three other voices."

"You do?" Mudslide perked up, "Where?"

"Back with the Brothers," was the other male's answer.

"Scuro, I don't want you to feel foolish," Falcon replied, "But the only other voices there were ours."

"Yeah, I didn't hear anything either," Stardust agreed.

"Me neither," Dawn concurred.

"Nope," Mudslide coincided.

"How could you all _not_ have heard them?" Scuro looked at them incredulously, "They were all adult males and were complaining about how badly they were being treated, how the Purity Talons give them no respect, how they don't approve of any of this, how they missed their sisters Terracotta, Swan, and Alligator… come to think of it, those three voices sounded _exactly_ like the Brothers."

"Wait… you read their minds?" Mudslide's eyes were two large orbs of blue and brown.

"I…I guess," Chiaroscuro nervously concluded.

"Stardust can change color, Scuro can read minds as well as do magic," Dawn shook her head, "What's next? Mudslide shapeshifting?"

"I want to know how we're just finding out about this now," Falcon interjected, "I mean, these things don't _spontaneously_ happen."

"Maybe there was another magical dragon that made the cells make us not special," Mudslide suggested.

"But then how is Scuro still able to use his magic?" Stardust pointed out.

"All this proves is that we need to leave and soon," Dawn decided, "We now know the way out, and next week we'll make our move."

The others sadly, tiredly nodded their heads in agreement and grudgingly made their way to their shared cell. Fortunately for them though, the MudWing brothers had sense fallen asleep. Just before they entered their prison, Chiaroscuro froze stiff, his muscles tense, tail and head low to the ground, and eyes unblinking. The other dragonets stared at him worriedly, this never happened before.

"Sc…Scuro," Mudslide quietly, frightfully tried to communicate, "Are… are you alright?"

After a few seconds, the black and white dragonet turned his attention to the others and gave what sounded like a riddle:

" _Red wings breaking through solid stone,_

 _Three fallen dragons, white as bone,_

 _Dark plans be undone, the queen shall come,_

 _To bring her stolen daughter home."_


End file.
